Heart of Evil
by whiterosenova
Summary: With Emmett as her bodyguard, Bella spends her life hunting down the man who kidnapped her over a year ago, the man whose face she has never seen. All human. Rated M for mature themes.
1. Prologue

**Hello readers! I am excited to bring my new story to you... the difference in this story being that one, it's completely done before I start posting it. Meaning I can pick any time I want to put up the next chapter, and I don't have to worry about deadlines. Second, this isn't your normal happy-go-lucky story. I can't promise you a HAE, and I can't promise that everyone will particularly like it. But I did my best, and I hope you do like it. **

**WARNING: This story is rated M for mature themes- sex, violence, and themes that are not intended for those under the age of seventeen (I say seventeen because I was an adult at that age).**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, or any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. **

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><p><em>Drip… Drip… Drip…<em>

The sink faucet was taunting me, its steady rhythm singing a slow song of death and boredom. I inhaled deeply, the smell of mold and rust infiltrating my senses. It took a large amount effort to pull my attention from the small sink, from the drops of brown liquid that fell in a steady pattern.

Was the sun ever going to come up? The rectangular window above the large freezer reflected the single light bulb that hung from the wooden beams. I wondered slightly if the dark would scare me if I reached one arm up and pulled on the chain, effectively killing the light source. The darkness would surely swallow me.

I smiled, and my eyes flickered to the freezer once again. The noises that came from that dirty white box had stopped almost thirty minutes ago. A single drop of blood had escaped from the rubber seal, the cold surface stopping it in its tracks half way down the side. I wondered, again, if the liquid was even in motion. Perhaps it was too solid to continue its escape. It was probably the same texture and thickness as rock candy…

My smile never faltered.

The motor on the freezer kicked on, chugging to bring the temperature inside down to its desired degree. My smile faltered a fraction as my conscious tried to take over, but my anger engulfed it entirely, extinguishing it immediately. My smile was now a scowl, and I glared into the dim light, envisioning the interior of the freezer. It brought an odd sense of pride to know that _I_ had done this. It was _me_ who took initiative.

It was me who pulled the trigger.

It was over. I'd done what I had set out to do. And now all I had to do was wait.

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><p><strong>The first chapter is following immediately...<strong>


	2. Chapter One

**Bella's Point of View**

"_**The mightiest oak in the forest is just a little nut that held its ground."**_

I let my pen trace over the quotation marks around my quote of the day. I had seen this one outside of my English class, written on the wall with a thick, black permanent marker. No credit to any individual for thinking of it. No signature. So, for now, it was by 'Unknown'.

"I don't know if I like that one," a voice said from behind me. "It's either calling you a strong person or a nut case." I jumped and slammed my book shut, glaring over my left shoulder.

"You're like a damn ninja," I muttered. The 'ninja' laughed and jumped into what I could only assume to be a fighting posture.

"You look like a Power Ranger," I said, shoving my book in my shoulder bag and standing.

"Aww, B. Why do you have to burst my bubble?" I smiled and patted Emmett's cheek gently.

"Because I'm the only one who can keep you in line." It was the truth, really. The bear of a man, standing at a staggering six foot five inches, was kept in check by me- at a whopping five foot two.

"Whatever," Emmett mumbled. I smiled again as he brought his arm up and around my shoulder to pull me in closer to his side. I melted into his sweatshirt, reveling in the feeling of safety that he always gave me. I looked up at the building just as the double doors opened and people poured down the steps. I felt Emmett's hand squeeze tighter on my shoulder, pulling me all of a centimeter closer to him. But I didn't complain- I never did. Faceless people pushed past us, heading towards their respective classes, and I kept my head down, letting my hair protect my face from any curious stranger. Someone bumped into my shoulder and Emmett reacted like a snake, reaching out at inhuman speed to push the person away.

"Watch it," he muttered. I never looked up.

Finally there was enough room for us to walk and we made our way up the stone steps. We walked as one, under the radar of others as we entered my next classroom. I had my eyes on one seat and one seat only. Top row of the auditorium, last seat on the right. Easy access to the door, two feet from the fire alarm. No one able to sit behind me, no one to my right. Only Emmett to my left and an entire classroom to look down upon. Hopefully, my official spot in each and every class I would be taking.

I watched as people filed in, singles and pairs, grabbing seats as far back as they could; no one wanted to sit directly in front of the teacher. I pulled my Psychology textbook and my new notebook out of my bag. Emmett only pulled out a notebook, to be used only for acting purposes. He'd use my notes, if any at all. Most likely he'd doodle, or draw out football plays for his nephew. Maybe he'd write a fake love note so that anyone watching him would think he was taken.

I smiled and turned my attention to the front of the now full classroom. A middle aged man stepped up to the doors closest to him and locked them with a flick of his wrist.

"Congratulations to all of you who managed to make it to class on time. You are now officially enrolled in Psychology 101. My name is Mr. Donald Murphy." Mr. Murphy looked at the class with a smirk on his thin lips. Emmett reached down into his back and began rummaging around. I glanced down and saw him removing a pen. Once his hand was out of the way, I flinched at the object in his bag. I kicked him quickly, satisfied when he zipped his bag immediately. He shrugged to me and I rolled my eyes. Suddenly the doors that Mr. Murphy had just locked rattled as someone tried to enter late. He turned towards the doors, his grey mustache twitching.

"For those who had decided to arrive later than their syllabus directed them to, will not be taking this class this semester." Grumblings coming from a thin blonde echoed through the large room. She caught the teachers' attention right away.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. I sat up a little straighter to see the sneer on the blonde's face. I shrunk back though when Emmett tapped my desk.

"My boyfriend is supposed to be in this class. He's only a minute late." I noticed the empty desk next to her.

"Would you like to join him outside?" The girl froze at the threat and slowly shook her head.

"That's what I thought." Mr. Murphy then approached his desk and lifted a piece of paper. He walked right up to a scrawny Asian boy who sat in the first row.

"This is a seating chart, people. The seat you're in is your seat for the semester. And every class, I will look at this chart and make sure you are compliant with my silly rule. If you are not…" Mr. Murphy smiled as the locked door shook again. "You will join them outside."

Emmett chuckled and nudged me. I knew what he was thinking- this guy was unbelievable.

The class was silent for almost ten minutes as the seating chart was filled out. When it finally reached Emmett, he wrote his name and mine next to it. He then pulled out a camera from his pocket and snapped a quick picture of the chart. He dropped the thin camera into the small opening of his bag, and I heard it hit metal. Emmett stood up and brushed past me, walking down the steps to the front. I heard whispers and I saw the heads turn. But as Emmett handed the seating chart to Mr. Murphy, I just sighed and aimed my attention to my desk. My hair fell in a curtain around me, hiding my face from the world. A guy in front of me caught my motion and turned to look at me. I could see his eyes try and penetrate my hair-wall, too curious for his own good. My heart stuttered and flew into overdrive, panic flooding me. Emmett was making his way back to me, and I let my eyes meet his. His step faltered once when he saw the terror in me, and he immediately looked around. His eyes fell on the _boy_ in front of me, who was all but drooling at me. With a large stride, Emmett was standing in front of my desk, blocking 'surfer boys' view. The boys' blue orbs went wide as his eyes met thighs, then rose to wide hips, to a broad chest, to enormous shoulders… to threatening eyes. I could _hear_ the fear run through him as he snapped his head back to the front. My skin was ablaze as Emmett settled back into his seat.

At least the gun didn't come out this time.

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><p><strong>I still haven't completely decided how often I will be posting chapters... but it will probably be two times a week because of the shortness of each chapter. Those who have read my other stories have probably seen that my chapters are usually long. But I've also had this problem with updating (lol). So how about Monday's and Friday's? Sounds good :) Please review, I love them.<strong>


	3. Chapter Two

**I tried to hold off on putting up the next chapter until tomorrow, but it just didn't happen. So maybe I'll change that Friday publish date to Thursday's :)**

**I want to thank everyone who has started to read this story, and thos who have reviewed. It means the world!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie.**

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><p><strong>Third Party Point Of View<strong>

"McCarty."

The voice spoke before Emmett even had a chance to say 'hello', and his back straightened at the official sounding voice. He looked at Izzy and nodded, letting her know silently that he had to take this phone call. He left the living room and closed the bedroom door behind him. The sound of Izzy's fingers on her laptop keyboard let him know she was still on the couch.

"Director," Emmett said roughly. The man's gritty voice was recognizable without caller ID.

"We received another," Director O'Brian snapped. Emmett's eyes shut in anger and he punched the nearest thing- which happened to be the wall to the left of the door. He noticed the keystrokes from the living room faltered, but started again quickly. Emmett trained his eyes on the new hole in the plaster as the Director kept talking.

"We have the team locked down, and you're being watched closely. But if he's able to get a letter inside my office undetected, I wouldn't put it past him to try something with you." Emmett swallowed back a wave of panic and closed his eyes.

"We just got here a few weeks ago, so hopefully we'll have time before he finds her."

"No," the Director corrected. "Hopefully we'll find him before he has the opportunity to get that close." He was right. Emmett looked around the room and took in how _unlived-in_ it looked. His bags were everywhere, half turned over and spilled out. They'd been living out of suitcases for months, bouncing from hotel to hotel like fugitives. It was Izzy's idea to move across the country and stay in one place; to lure _him_ out.

To end it all.

"What did the letter say?" Emmett asked.

"We're not going to get into that." No, Emmett wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"What the _fuck_ did it say?" The Director sighed.

"It said '_Don't bother running. She misses me as much as I miss her'."_

"Sick fuck," he muttered. The Director grunted in agreement. Emmett wanted this all to be over for Izzy.

"Emmett?" He turned and saw brown eyes staring at him through a crack in the door.

"I'll speak with you tomorrow, Director." He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed.

"Izzy, what are you doing?" She sighed and opened the door completely.

"_Bella_, Em. You have to remember that it's 'Bella' here." It was going to take a while to get used to that.

"Sorry, _Bella_." She smiled and walked over to the bed to sit.

"They got another one, didn't they?" She ceased to amaze him at the things she picked up on.

"Yes, but he doesn't know where we are." Bella fell back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling.

"He will eventually, but we'll catch him," she said quietly. Emmett nodded and sat down next to her.

"It's going to be okay."

"It's why we're doing this," she muttered. "If the FBI can't catch him, our trap will come into play. It's called a trap for a reason."

"The team is watching. Always. So even if he _does_ find us, he won't get close." Bella nodded again and sighed.

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><p><strong><span>Bella's POV<span>**

"_**Life's not always fair. Sometimes you can get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow."**_

So true, I thought. I've been picking out splinters for years.

"Yo, B." I closed my book, not writing anything beneath the quote. I'd gotten this one out of my fortune cookie from dinner, and I knew it would be perfect for my daily quote for the next day- tomorrow had already begun it seemed.

"What's up, Emmett?" He collapsed onto the couch next to me, crunching on a cheese wonton. I eyed the flakes of fried dough that fell from his mouth and onto the dark blue couch. I wanted to snap at him and tell him to eat over a plate or some other type of surface, but the angry words never formed in my mouth, and I remained silent as he brushed the crumbs onto the floor.

"How's homework?" he asked as he swallowed. I tore my eyes from him and looked at the large stack of books on the coffee table. Part of me felt bad for not jumping head first into my classes, especially since it was _my_ idea, _my_ desire to attend college.

"Umm, good?" Of course, it came out like a question and Emmett laughed.

"Yeah yeah, well, don't sprain a finger lifting those books. I'm gonna run down to the corner store and grab Tylenol and some soda." I nodded, letting my eyes follow him as he stood and walked to the small box that sat on the dining room table. He opened it and unearthed a .45 caliber, silver and gleaming in the glow from the fluorescent lighting. I turned away, but I could still hear him load the clip and take the safety off. From my peripheral, I watched Emmett grab his jacket and keys, setting the loaded gun on the small table beside the front door. He caught my eye and grinned, nodding before he disappeared out the door. He was out of sight, but I listened as each and every one of the four deadbolts turned in place, effectively locking me in.

Keeping me safe.

I didn't have to worry about the windows- they were unbreakable and tinted. No one could see me.

I sighed and toed the pile of books in front of me with the tip of my sneaker. At that very moment in time, I had no urge to read my Psychology book, or begin my very first History paper.

What I _wanted _to do, was run outside, through a park or a forest of some sort. But, I couldn't. So I settled for the next best thing. I set my book on the table next to my abandoned school work and climbed on my treadmill. It was set up directly in the corner of the room, facing every entry way, every window. I pressed my pre-programmed choice, almost laughing aloud as the digital screen on the exercise equipment greeted me with _'Hello Bella'_. The name still wanted to make me laugh. _Bella._ I wasn't going to lie- it was foreign. But everything had to say it. It prolonged the inevitable.

I ran for fifteen minutes before Emmett came back. I heard the two soft knocks on the top of the door, followed by one loud knock dead center. He was home, and he was alone. Had he knocked twice in the center, I would have grabbed the gun and ducked for cover.

Instead, I smiled as the deadlocks turned and he walked in, securing them once again behind him. We didn't say anything as he picked up the .45 and walked back to the dining room table. He turned on the safety and took the clip out, making sure the chamber was clear. It was returned to the box and Emmett settled himself in front of the computer. I continued to watch him as I ran, my breathing steady and even. Emmett set a twenty ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper in front of him and began to open the Tylenol. When he successfully tipped three tablets into the palm of his hand, he washed them quickly back with his drink. Almost right away, he pulled out a stack of papers and began typing names into what looked like a search engine. I sighed softly when I realized what he was doing.

He had the seating charts from all of my classes from that day. He was running a background check on each and every one of those students and teachers.

I closed my eyes as he typed. There were no words, only the sound of my feet hitting the belt and Emmett's fingers hitting keyboard keys. The sound of me running from the unknown and the sound of him trying to save me.

The clocking of keys stopped and Emmett loud out a sigh.

He found one.

My step faltered and I flew backwards off the treadmill and into the wall.

"Fuck!" I shouted. Emmett's footsteps made their way over to the treadmill and I heard it stop. Large hands then helped me off the floor.

"You okay?"

"Is it him?" I asked pointlessly. I knew it wasn't. Life wasn't that easy.

"No, just a traffic warrant." _Fucking-A_. I glanced at the monitor across the room and zoned in on the red triangle in the top right corner. That's what we were looking for… but far more than just someone driving with an expired tag and getting their license suspended.

"It's okay. I still have to go through everyone else and the teachers…"

"How do we know he'll even be there?" My question was quiet, but Emmett heard it and slid down the wall next to me. He was most likely tired of me, tired of being my shadow. Tired of the days-weeks-_months_ of being separated from the world.

"Because I know," Emmett soothed. "It's why we're doing this, Bella. Because we know he'll make himself known. All we have to do is keep our guard up." I nodded, my heart beginning to thump rapidly in my chest. Emmett was right; this is why we were doing this. This is why I convinced him to let me go back to college, instead of staying locked up and waiting for _him_ to strike. Just the memory of his silhouette, standing over me as I shook from the cold. The snow beneath me, cutting into my skin like knives.

But no face. Never a face.

"Come on, let's get you up." I shook my head free of my nightmares and forced my heart rate to slow. Emmett lead me to the couch, and I kicked off my sneakers before laying flat on the cushions. He didn't hesitate before going back to his desk and made a note next to the person's name he had just run through the database. Seconds later the printer spit out a page, which was added to a pile to his right.

Hours passed, and I watched as Emmett made his way through every name that was written down. Out of the almost four hundred students and four teachers of the day, eight people raised a red flag. Three traffic warrants, a felony record (that Emmett found out was for auto theft), three drug records, and one teacher that had been charged, and then cleared, of child abuse. Only thing Emmett had to say was about the teacher: 'What kind of school hires a teacher accused of fucking child abuse?' He was right on that one.

I ignored the stack of homework that I had vowed to at least start, and headed to my bedroom. When we first moved into the small apartment, I was horrified. I'd grown up in a large, two story home that had five bedrooms. I practically had the place to myself with my dad always being gone and my mother always off with her friends.

Ah, the old days.

When we left home and went into 'hiding', it was one thing. But for some reason I had expected to go back to the upper class ways I had been used to. That's when Emmett told me, _assured_ me, that the smaller the place, the less hiding places.

Those words, mixed with the thoughts of _him_ touching me, convinced me in full. I winced when we moved into the two bedroom apartment, but adjusted quickly when I was able to have a place called home. A place I could go and not worry one hundred percent of the time that _he_ was hiding under my bed, or _he_ was at my window with that three inch blade, ready to cut into me.

"You okay?" Emmett's voice startled me and I dropped my nightshirt on the ground. "Sorry."

"S'ok," I mumbled, bending to pick it up.

"Going to bed?" I nodded, changing quickly. No need to hide from Emmett. Nothing he hadn't seen before.

"Tomorrow you have two other classes," Emmett said softly as I crawled beneath my down comforter. The apartment was warm, but I didn't want to chance getting cold in the middle of the night.

"Statistics and Photography?" I asked. Emmett nodded, leaning against the doorframe. My room was dark, his large body illuminated by the light from the hall. A shiver ran through me, and I reached over to turn on my lamp. Emmett needed a face.

"Same thing as today, B. We sit in the far right corner, and I watch while you learn."

"It's silly, no?" I whispered. Emmett's brow rose in question.

"What?"

"You accepting payment in the form of a faux college education." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Sweetie, I already _have_ a college education. You don't. And the only way I'm able to follow your ass around and keep you safe is to act like I don't know shit about shit."

"All brawn, no brains," I laughed. Em chuckled, and then grew quiet.

"We're going to catch him Izzy." I gave him the eye and he sighed. "_Bella._"

"It's been ten months," I whispered. "And he's still out there. Threat after threat, and I feel like my head is going to explode."

"We'll catch him," Emmett repeated. I looked at him and gave him a disbelieving glance. He saw it and sat up straighter, his face even more serious.

"How do you know, Em? How?"

"I just know. I can feel it." That was good enough for me I suppose.

"Good night, Em." He only smiled, giving me a small wave before stepping back into the living room. I forced my eyes closed, telling myself that my dreams would be peaceful. Or, they would be nonexistent in general.

_My eyes fluttered open, tearing instantly as wind blew directly into my face. I closed them again, inhaling deeply. Suddenly it was as if every one of my senses flew into overdrive. My deep breath became the air for a very loud scream, and the sound ripped from my throat with so much force that my ears rang._

_Pain. Cold. Pain. _

_My legs felt numb and I realized that the ground was wet. _

_I screamed again, trying my hardest to open my eyes. But it did no good, because the pain kept them closed. Closed in agony and confusion. The last thing I remembered was walking into my house. I reached over to turn on the light and…_

_My eyes flew open and I bit back another scream. Someone had grabbed my arm and their hand clamped down over my mouth._

_And then blackness. I remembered nothing else._

_I looked to my right, and then to my left, trying to focus on my surroundings. Snow. Cold snow. Trees. Leaves. Feet._

_No. _Boots.

_I looked up and pushed through the pain to see a figure standing over me. No face. No features._

_And it was laughing._

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><p><strong>Again, thank you for those who are reading! I will be putting up the next chapter on Monday (the 11th)<strong>


	4. Chapter Three

**Yeah, I'm home sick this afternoon and I'm bored, so what better to do than update the story a million days early? LOL. I'm sure the world won't mind. **

**Heads up: This story will take a few chapters to fill you in on everything- basically bit by bit. I'm not going to throw all the back story into the first two chapters and go from there. I like the way the entire story flows, so hopefully you all won't mind :)**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, or any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a brand new notebook with pink and green stripes. It's pretty and of course I'm trying to decide what to write in it!**

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><p>"<em><strong>I admire people who wear their hearts on their sleeves. At least you know what you're dealing with from the start. Life's too short to pretend."<strong>_

I sat on the bench in front of the main building. My hoodie was on, hood up. Sunglasses on. I was waiting for Emmett, who was in the main office collecting all the names of all the employees of the University of Florida.

Florida. The only place I could stay warm.

Students walked in front of me, talking, laughing. Tank tops, shorts, flip-flops. I would be lying if I said people didn't stare at me. I was the only person on campus who was wearing long jeans, a hoodie, and boots.

A tall blonde woman walked in front of me, clad in what seemed to be the uniform of shorts and tank top, and literally stopped and stared. I froze instinctively, casting my eyes downwards. She had a cell phone in her right hand, the beginning of a text message on the screen. I couldn't make out what it said at first glance, so I didn't bother to try and strain to see. Her eyes weren't wide with shock. They weren't narrowed in suspicion. They were just staring.

Why was she staring at me? Did she know who I was?

No, she couldn't. She didn't actually see all of my face.

Her eyes roamed over me, but I tried my best to ignore her. I looked towards the office instead, breathing a sigh of relief when Emmett walked out. The girl watched as he approached me, and her face finally showed some type of emotion. Her eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of Em. Even her mouth dropped open. He fell onto the bench next to me, pad of paper in hand. He set his bag between his feet on the concrete and sighed.

"Walk away," he said. I jumped slightly and looked at him. He was reading the list of names in front of him as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Wha-?" The blonde gawked, her question lost on her lips. Her voice was smooth and broken at the same time, an odd mixture, but it suited her so well. Emmett looked up, his eyes hard.

"I said, walk. Away." And then she was gone, thumbs flying across the keypad to her cell phone.

"She's probably telling all her friends that we're crazy," I whispered. Emmett only shrugged.

"Don't fucking matter. Let her talk. We don't want to be _completely_ invisible." He was right, of course. But I knew I wasn't invisible, and I looked around us because that's what I did. I looked for someone who I wouldn't recognize. Someone without a face.

"Did you get what you needed? Statistics starts in thirty minutes." Em nodded, shoving the paper in his bag and standing. He pulled me to my feet and slung his arm over my shoulders.

My safety. My protector.

We got to class, and I was pleased to see that there was no class directly before mine. We were able to take our seats- right where we wanted.

I let my mind wander, contemplating what we were _really_ doing here. Yes, we needed to lure _him_ out, but why at college? Why Florida? Why this way? My mind went further into itself and answered the questions for me.

College, because I wanted to finish my education.

Florida, because Washington was too cold. Even in the middle of July, I was too cold and I would panic. I would wear three layers just to feel warm again.

I couldn't be cold. I couldn't see snow again without the memories flooding back.

"You okay?" Emmett's voice cut into my stray thoughts and I glanced at him with a smirk.

"We'll call it reminiscing," I mused. Emmett smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. I always loved his blue eyes. So innocent and friendly.

"You need a hobby," Em told me. I nodded; yes- yes I did. My own opinion? I thought too much. Eventually my mind was going to consume me and I was going to cease to exist.

Students began to file in, and I turned my face down to my notebook. From my peripheral vision I watched those who sat around us. And low and behold- Blondie sat directly in front of Emmett. She pretended to glance around the classroom, but I saw her eyes train on Emmett at each head turn. As my eyes drifted over to Em once more, I had to bite back my laughter. He was staring at Blondie with a look of annoyance. He leaned forward until his mouth was two inches behind her left ear.

"Sit. Somewhere. Else." She jumped, eyes flashing.

"Fuck you, Hulk. I can sit wherever I want to." Em didn't move an inch, glaring at her in such a manner that it gave _me_ the chills. One…two…three seconds… ten…fifteen.

"Fine! Damn!" Blondie stood up and grabbed her friends' arm next to her and literally pulled her out of her seat. The small girl stumbled as she looked at me in confusion. She looked like a fairy, glitter in her hair and all.

"You're going to be labeled an ass hole if you keep that up," I snickered. Emmett leaned back in his chair, shrugging.

"Don't care. She bothered me." I nodded, watching as Blondie and Fairy made their way to a seat on the other side of the room. And right before Blondie sat, she looked over at Emmett again. Surprisingly, there was lust in her eyes.

"The more you're mean to her, the more she's going to want your sorry ass," I warned. He shrugged again just as the teacher walked in. I looked at the front, memorizing the woman's features. This was a horrible habit that I had picked up after… well, just _after_. I assumed it to be a helpful habit, just in case I caught a glimpse of someone important. Last thing I wanted was to claim I couldn't remember the color of someone's eyes because I was shaking in fear.

In this situation, the teacher was short, with brown hair that was wrapped up into a fancy bun on her head. Her clothing was purely professional attire; very ordinary in my opinion.

But right behind her stood a man, roughly thirty years old. From my seat all the way in the back, I could see the greenest eyes I had ever seen before. Brown hair, very light it seemed, lay disarrayed on his head, perfect in all of its confusion. His eyes scanned the room as he smiled, but when his eyes got close to me I looked down.

My heart was beating so loudly that I missed the teachers' introduction. All I heard were the words 'Statistics' and 'assistant.' Was the attractive male her teaching assistant? He seemed too old for that, didn't he?

Emmett moved in his seat next to me, and I knew without looking what he was doing: Removing a pad of paper and writing down the teachers' name and physical description, as well as the assistants.

"Who the hell needs a teachers' assistant in a Statistics class?" Emmett muttered. He was suspicious already. _He never left cop mode_.

The seating chart made its way around the class, and Em wrote our names down with his perfect penmanship. The camera came out, and it was all documented just as the assistant made his way up the stairs towards us. My heart pounded furiously against my ribs as I tried to memorize the details of my Statistics book cover. I saw his feet step into my line of vision as Emmett reached over me to hand him the paper. My eyes slid over to memorize the assistants' shoes.

Black, steel-toed boots. Size thirteen, maybe thirteen and a half. He had on dark blue jeans, frayed at the bottom as they hung over the boots.

Black boots.

And then they were gone.

"You okay?" I nodded.

Words escaped me. I was frozen. The teacher began to speak, introducing the syllabus. I waited a full two hundred and thirty seven seconds before I dared to look up.

And I was staring directly into green depths.

My eyes flew back down, and I reached for Emmett's hand.

"Em, he's staring." Emmett didn't have to ask 'who'… he immediately zoned in on the man at the front of the room and tapped his pen on his desk top. Glancing at his face, I witnessed a familiar stance.

The show down.

He eventually calmed, which showed me that he had won. The assistant must have noticed him and looked away. Emmett then circled a name on his paper. I glanced over at him and mouthed the name to myself.

_Edward Masen._

I looked up and saw him staring directly at me again. He was smiling.

He had clearly read my lips.

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><p>By the time I was in Photography, I was a nervous fucking wreck. I was shaking, and I could hear my teeth chatter in my own damn head. In reality, I wasn't cold. But I still pulled my hoodie closer to me.<p>

The seating in Photography was different, so Emmett and I chose the lab table furthest to the back, allowing me to sit against the wall.

"He was staring, Em! Was it him? Is it? Em?" My words were soft but urgent.

"Bella, you have to calm the fuck down. If it _was_ him, we'll find out. But right now I have no freaking idea. You have to keep going, finish the day." My breathing was shallow, but I felt foolish. _Why_ was it that ever single man who stared at me for longer than a second was automatically _him_? I immediately put that person in his place. For the past hour I had been back in Washington, laying in the snow, with Edward Masen standing over me as he laughed. Unbelievable. Although I'd never heard _his_ voice, I knew his laugh. And in my sick and twisted mind, Edward had that same laugh.

"I think I'm losing my fucking mind," I muttered. Emmett just chuckled and pulled me into a sideways hug.

"No, you're just a woman who was pushed too far." Indeed, I was. I pulled my legs up on my chair, hugging my knees to my chest. This class was not mandatory for my degree, but Photography had once been a hobby of mine. I wanted _something_ of my old life. Even if it was as minute as holding a camera in my hands and pressing a freaking button.

The remainder of the students walked in, and, to my horror, Edward Masen entered and made his way to the table at the front of the room.

"Fuck," I whispered. Emmett made no physical indication that he heard me, but I heard him clear his throat. He saw him, too. My eyes were glued on Edward, and this time I didn't look away as his eyes raked across the room and stopped. He didn't look shocked, didn't look curious. He just… stared.

Like Blondie did.

The connection broke when a young man walked in and stood in front of the room.

"Hello, I am Mr. Gregory Falco and I will be your slave driver for the next semester." He grinned, and the class laughed. I stared. "I want you to call me Greg though- Mr. Falco is my father and he's an asshole." More laughter. I ignored it. My heart was pounding, because there was something about this Masen character that sent me into overdrive. Panic was filling me, and I wanted more than anything to leave the room.

I tried to pay attention as Greg told the class how things would go, and what was expected of us. As predicted, the person sitting at the table next to us would be our partner. Emmett pretended to be surprised, raising his hand and asking Greg if he could switch with someone… maybe the Goth with multiple facial piercings. I bit back laughter while the guy dressed all in black (black makeup, finger nail polish and all) glared and Greg tried to decipher if he was joking or not. Em just grinned.

"Way to be low key, dumbass," I sighed. Em just shrugged and nudged me.

"It's my way to get you to smile. Maybe blush." Him and his annoying need to see me turn into a fucking lobster.

Greg announced the first project would be due on Tuesday, at the next class. I figured it was okay- I would have all weekend to work on it.

That was, until he told us the topic.

_Secrets_.

"How the hell do you capture that on film?" Emmett asked me.

"You take a picture of me," I said as we walked out of class. "I'm fucking full of them." Em smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His arm surrounded me into a half hug, and I felt a chill, like I was being watched. I looked over my right shoulder and saw Edward staring at us.

"Let's go home," I said to Emmett. "You need to do another background check."

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW! I love reviews, and I know it's taking a few seconds out of your lives to do so LOL but if you review I might be tempted to post another chapter soon haha ~Ash<strong>


	5. Chapter Four

**Hi everyone! I want to thank all the people who have read H of E so far, and who have reviewed. I love it :) **

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. **

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><p>"<em><strong>You can know someone better in a moment of honesty than in a lifetime of lies."<strong>_

"He's clean."

My eyes flew up at the words, disbelieving. My psychology paper was immediately set aside, and I stepped behind Emmett's computer chair. There, on the screen, was everything I needed to know about Edward Masen.

Date of birth, place of birth, old residence, parents' names, traffic records, siblings (or lack of)…

"He just got a ticket last week," I mumbled.

"Yes, but it doesn't make him a psychopath." I moaned and sat on the couch arm, letting my eyes wander over the places he had lived. They froze when I saw Seattle, Washington.

"_Clean?" _I barked. I jabbed my finger at his Seattle address, that he lived at less than a year ago. My pulse was racing, my breath shallow. I could feel the panic attack coming.

"He lived two and a half hours from me, Emmett! And he was there when _it_ happened! That's far from clean!" Emmett was out of his chair and had his arms around me in seconds.

"Breathe, Izzy. Breathe."

"It's Bella!" I screamed. "There is no Izzy! It's Bella! It's him, Em, it's him. He found me. He's here."

"No, no, Bella. It's okay. If it's him, I'll find out. We'll find out." I couldn't hear his words clearly. I could only stare at the screen, at the information that 'told' me that Edward Masen was the man that tried to kill me.

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><p>I sat back down on the bench in front of the school, staring at Emmett as he positioned himself at the school's entrance. It was Friday, and I could hear the students talking about their weekends, of the parties they were going to, and the trip to the lake.<p>

Which was Emmett's ruse to find out more about Edward Masen.

Emmett leaned against the wall outside the main office, keeping his eyes on the door from his peripheral vision. My heart was pounding still, and I was sure the dark circles under my eyes were still there. I hadn't slept well, and my 'dreams' were full of pain, blood, and cold.

Just then, the door opened and Edward walked out, his hands full of books and papers. Emmett noticed and waited for just the right moment, pushing away from the wall and turning to his left. It was that moment that he collided with Edward, his face masked with fake shock. Papers and books flew everywhere, and I could see Edward's look of annoyance.

"Dude! I am so sorry!" Emmett exclaimed. Edward's eyes closed for a second and I could almost hear his sigh from where I sat.

"It's okay. No big," Edward said. I noticed that his voice was smooth, with a touch of an accent- although I couldn't place it exactly. They both stooped down and began picking up the scattered books.

"No, seriously, I'm sorry. I swear I'm as klutzy as my sister sometimes." I glared at him from behind, knowing he was talking about me. If I actually _was_ his sister, I'd kick his ass for that comment.

Em's lips kept moving, but I could no longer hear the words exchanged. Two young guys decided that the best time to hold a conversation about condom brands would be right that moment. And as I was trying to remain incognito, I couldn't tell them to fuck off. So, instead I watched as Em's lips moved, and then Edward's. Then they stood, and Edward laughed, nodding at something Emmett had said. Minutes ticked by and then, to my astonishment, Edward took a pen out of his pocket followed by a scrap of paper. He wrote something down and handed it to Em. Then Em did the same, giving Edward a paper in return. Surely my mouth was open by the time my 'brother' returned to my side.

"Close your mouth, something might fly in." I flicked him off and shook my head.

"So he's your new BFF?" I sneered. Playing with the enemy…

"Nope, I was just getting to know the new _transfer_ student from the University of Washington. Apparently Edward Masen doesn't know anyone in Gainesville, and I offered to hang. Maybe grab some coffee this weekend. And in the meantime, I can pick apart his past until we find something. Anything." To say that I was surprised was a fucking understatement. Emmett's eyes were tender and met mine to assure me.

"You really think something is off about this guy?" he asked. I nodded.

"I can feel it," I whispered.

"Then I'm on your side." I sighed with relief. "In the meantime, lets get to class. Session is at three."

Session. The one hour a week where I had to let someone scrutinize me.

And I was paying them to do so.

I groaned, not wanting to go through with the routine.

"You know the drill, Swan. You want a normal life? Then we have to work for it."

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><p>I sat in front of Dr. Victoria Hawkins, tugging gently on a strand of hair. The constant pressure to my scalp kept me in the now, not letting me slip into 'no mans land'.<p>

My eyes wandered around the room, taking in the ugly paintings and obtuse sculptures. Where the hell did Emmett and the team find this chick? It was a question I've asked myself for three weeks now. Three times, sitting in front of this woman, and I hadn't said much of anything. We just stared. She asked an occasional question and I'd give a vague answer. She was waiting for me to open up, but I wanted to tell her it wasn't gonna happen. People from the FBI had tried, people in the Port Angeles police department had tried… hell, even doctors.

"So…" I zoned in on Victoria and smirked. She had told me to call her 'Vicky' because it made our 'relationship' more 'personal'. I refused. Instead, I called her 'Bird' in my mind. She looked like a bird. Her hair was wild and red, with piercing blue eyes that saw_ everything_. I was almost afraid to move, just in case she tried to pull a diagnosis out of the way I scratched my ankle.

"So…" I mimicked her, tone and all. Bird smiled and I scowled. She wrote something down on her pad of paper, and I had to admit- I was curious. What did she write? _Patient is sarcastic, depression evident._ Duh, dumbass.

The agreement of me to see a shrink had happened back in Washington. I was tired of hiding from the unknown, and when Em and I had presented our plan to his superiors (well, _he_ had presented; I was in hiding), they gave a condition: I needed help. Not just a bodyguard, but someone to help me with what had happened to me.

"How is school?" Bird asked. I shrugged. She was grasping for straws—me attending school was one of the very few things she knew about me.

"It just began this week, so good I suppose." Bird wrote something down.

"Have you met any friends yet?" I bit back a laugh. Yeah, me and Blondie are bestie's now.

"No, I pretty much stick with Emmett." I clamped my mouth shut. _Fuck_. I gave her information. Let me set this straight—it's not that I don't _want_ to tell anyone what happened. Plenty of people know. But… plenty of important people. To me, the psychiatrist sitting in front of me was not important. Which is why I didn't want to explain anything.

"Who is Emmett?" _Ding, ding, ding!_

"My second cousin, twice removed on my Uncle's step daughters side." Bird blinked twice before cracking a smile.

"No, I mean, who is he to you? Boyfriend? Friend? Confidant?" I winced. Boyfriend? I wanted to laugh. Em and I could never put our relationship down to that level. I wouldn't degrade him like that. He was so much more.

I watched Bird watch me, and I sighed. Who was I kidding? Maybe I _did_ need someone other than Em. Not to that extreme, but just to rattle 'unimportant' things to.

"He's my protector," I finally whispered. Bird's eyes lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. Jackpot. Her pen began to move.

"And what does he protect you from?" Damn, go in for the kill much?

"I don't feel comfortable talking about that." Bird accepted that answer and made a few notes.

"How are you adjusting to the move? Florida is a lot different than Washington." No shit, Sherlock.

"It's okay," I offered. "I started school again, as you know. I wanted to finish my teaching degree, but decided not to."

"And why is that?" Damn question. I sighed.

"I don't feel comfortable talking about that." Bird nodded.

"What classes are you taking?"

"Finishing up my Pre-requirement classes and a lot of electives." Bird nodded again.

"I see you're taking Psychology." That got attention. My back was suddenly ramrod straight. And my eyes were wide. She _saw_?

"What the fuck?" I snapped. "Do you have a copy of my schedule right in front of you?" Bird didn't seem affected by my outburst.

"It came with your paperwork." Stupid fucking explanation. I stood up and made my way to the door. I was done.

"Isabella, we're not done here." I stopped and turned so quickly that I didn't even remember the motion.

"No, _Doctor, _we are beyond done." I glared with every ounce of hatred that I could give her. "I'm supposed to _offer_ you information. How dare you side swipe me with questions and try to get me to talk. How _dare_ you!" I didn't give her a chance to respond; I walked right out of that office and past the receptionist. I wanted so badly to pick up one of the ugly chairs and throw it at the dumb bitch. She just sat there, filing her nails with a metal file. It made that metallic scratching sound, like nails on a chalk board.

I exited the office, somewhat pleased that Emmett was not waiting for me yet. After all, I was supposed to be with Bird for another eighteen minutes.

I rounded the corner and was surprised to see that the hall had ended. I turned around and felt slightly panicked that the elevators were not there. Instead I had reached a circular area, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. I stepped backwards until my back was flush against the window. Being in the corner, I was able to be completely invisible to anyone in the hall. The only thing in my sight was the door that lead to the stairwell. I heard a door open down the hall and hesitant footsteps.

"Bella? Are you out here?" Bird was searching for me. I closed my eyes, believing for just the briefest of moments that if I couldn't see her, she couldn't see me.

Eighty two seconds passed, and the door she came out of reopened and then shut. Silence. I let out a quiet breath and reopened my eyes. I felt stupid, to be honest. I overreacted at something so minute. It bothered me on some level, though, that Bird had information on me that I didn't give her. I should have known better, though. Emmett was the one who filled out my paperwork. Sensitive information and all. At least she didn't know about that night…

I looked out of the large window, relaxing as I took in the scenery. Bird's office was in a medical building next to Shands Hospital. Not much to look at, but a lot of palm trees. It was a lot different than the millions of oak trees back in Washington. I people watched for a few minutes before I took out my cell phone and sent Emmett a text.

'_Ready'_.

I looked back out the window, watching a nurse wheel an old man down the sidewalk to a waiting car. She put on the wheel locks and helped the man stand, sliding him into the open door. I smiled. Such care, such kindness. My view was then blocked by one of the city buses as it pulled up in front of the hospital. It idled for a minute before pulling away, revealing new people on the sidewalk. Two older men, an older lady with a cane, a woman in dark blue medical scrubs, and a man about my age. I noticed him right away because I was attracted to him. Not in an 'oh my God, you look like Bradley Cooper and I want to hump your leg' way. It was in a 'wow, I can see the blue of your eyes from the third floor' way.

Mystery man stood next to that bus stop for a little under ten seconds until a black SUV pulled up. He looked at the driver and nodded, opening the door and getting in.

And then he was gone.

"Bella?" I was pulled out of my gawking by Emmett's frantic voice. I didn't have the audacity to hide from him. I pushed myself up, glanced out of the window once more, and stepped out of my hiding spot.

"Hey," I muttered. I winced appropriately because Emmett looked fucking scary. I'd only seen him remotely close to this a few times before, and one of them was _that_ night.

"Seriously? Are you _fucking _kidding me?"

"I'm sorry," I immediately whispered. "I had to get away from Bird. She knew too much, and she didn't have any right to know info I didn't give her." Emmett didn't question the 'Bird' nickname, and pulled me into a hug.

"It's okay. Don't fucking do that again. It's too risky, dammit." I nodded.

"Sorry, Em."

"Good news," he said after a minute. I hummed in question, not moving from my Emmett cage.

"I'm hanging with Edward tonight. Might get info on him."

"It won't be that easy," I said. "He's not just going to admit to attempted murder. No, our guy isn't obvious." Silence. A sigh.

"Yeah, I know. But the team and I don't have any more leads." I felt bad; Emmett seemed so defeated with those words.

"Then, great job on your new lead." Emmett just chuckled.

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><p><strong>So, who's the mystery guy and why is Bella noticing him so important? **GRIN** <strong>

**Don't fret- the back story will unravel as we go. Work with it :)**


	6. Chapter Five

**Hello again! It's late tonight, but I didn't want to go to sleep before posting the next chapter. I went through it all to make sure there weren't any errors, but hell, I'm only human. Forgive me if there are.**

**WARNING: There is mention and description of rape in this chapter. If it offends you to the point where you refuse to read it, again I apologize, and please skip over the italicized words once you get halfway through the chapter. I do not take the subject of rape lightly, and I believe that 'no' means fucking no, but it is necessary for the story. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie.**

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><p><em>My eyes fluttered open, but there was no light. Just darkness upon darkness, blinding me from everything that would normally be laid before me. I groaned, my head pounding. I moved to lift my hand to rub across my eyes, but froze when I felt the resistance. I tugged harder and harder, but to no avail. Only when I froze could I feel the rope tied around my wrists.<em>

_I tugged harder, but it was so tight. I opened my mouth to scream, and choked in fear._

_Duct tape._

_I tried to scream again- it was a muffled moan._

_Where was I? I remembered lying in something cold… snow…_

_Suddenly light spilled into the room as the door opened. My vision was blurred with tears, but I could see a tall figure enter the room. The person pushed the door slightly so it closed a bit, but there was enough light to give me the sight to see him. _Him_. _

_I knew it was a man, because a laugh came from the figure. A low, deep, throaty laugh._

_And then the figure moved to stand in front of the bed, directly between my open legs. I could feel the restraints on my ankles as well, and I screamed under my gag again when I jerked upwards and got nowhere. I had no leeway. No where to go._

_No, no, no._

_It was _him_. He found me. How had he gotten through security? How had he managed?_

_The bed dipped under extra weight as he climbed between my legs. And in a quick movement, the faceless figure pulled a pair of scissors out of his pocket and began to cut my sweat pants off. When I felt the cold air hit my undergarments, I felt the bile rise in my throat._

_And the scissors went to work on my shirt._

I sat up in my bed, screaming. My room was already filled with light, both from the sun streaming through the window and the light overhead, but I didn't feel safe until Emmett burst through the door a second and a half after I woke up. He was in front of me, gun pointed in my vicinity, two-way radio in fist. A quick look around the room showed no intruder, and he realized I had been dreaming. He sighed and lowered the gun. Setting it on the nightstand, he climbed into the bed next to me.

"Shh, Izzy," he whispered as he held me, tears and all. "It's gonna be okay."

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><p>"<em><strong>Ask me if I'm okay. I'll reply with 'I'm fine.' and I'll be hoping that someone would look me in the eye and say either 'Tell the truth' or 'That's a lie.'"<strong>_

I slammed my book shut, not writing anything under the words. I hadn't fallen back to sleep after Emmett rescued me from my afternoon nightmares. And now I was a paranoid mess. Instead, I sat on my bed and stared at the wall, my mind blank.

_Knock knock._

I didn't get off the bed, only waited until the doorknob turned to look towards the door. Emmett.

"Hey," he said softly. I nodded at him, chuckling silently at how his eyes studied me. I wanted to tell him to back off, that it wasn't like the last time I dreamt of that night. This time I didn't try to injure myself.

"I'm fine," I muttered. Emmett snorted.

"Yeah, okay." But thankfully he didn't push right that moment. He walked over and sat beside me, nudging me with his elbow.

"You gonna be okay while I go with Edward?" I looked at the clock on my wall and saw that it was almost eight o'clock. My day had been such a cluster fuck, and it wasn't even over yet.

"I'm fine," I repeated. Emmett knew I was lying. Because his eyes glanced down and saw me running my finger over the area above my right knee. The scar was smooth, but I never liked to admit that it existed, let alone touch it.

"I don't have to go," Em said softly. _Then don't go,_ I wanted to say. But I still had that feeling about this Edward fellow, and I wanted Emmett to follow any leads that may or may not exist. For all I knew, this Edward guy was a closet World of Warcraft geek who spent his spare time getting to level eighty with each of his avatars.

"You have to go," I whispered. "We have to catch him." My body ached to be free, to be rid of my nightmares.

"Gun is by the front door. Taser is in the kitchen drawer with the silverware. Shotgun is behind my bedroom door, and you have your metal bat behind yours. Keep your cell phone on you at all times. The land line is hooked up, and the second the dial tone sounds, Roger is located downstairs." Wow. I took a shaky breath. It was times like these, and words from my own personal bodyguard, that reminded me of what was out there.

_But that's the thing, Izzy. You _don't _know._

I hated the measures we had to go to so that I felt safe in my own apartment, but I refused to have myself surrounded by officers at all time. We tried that, and it only brought attention, which is what could have brought him to me the first time. No, I had to lie low when it came to that. No, he didn't need that to find me- it would be inevitable either way.

Emmett stood, pulling me up by my hand and lead me to the living room. My eyes gravitated to the .45 that lay on the table. I never wanted to have to shoot it at someone, but in the situation where I would _have_ to, I could. And I could shoot it well.

"You sure?" Em tried one last time. I nodded, planning on sleeping on the couch until he returned. Emmett sighed in regret, hating to leave me alone for such a long time. I waited until he closed the door behind him to turned the deadbolts and put on the chain. The chain was more like a symbol to myself that I would be okay, but in the event that someone would force themselves in, it wouldn't do much of anything.

The apartment was quiet, the second hand on the clock ticking away as I stared at the blank television screen. I shifted uncomfortably and reached for my notebook. Now was a good time as any to write. Sleep wasn't going to come easy.

'_Em is out following my 'gut' instinct, and I wonder if I'm losing my mind. Every man that looks at me is suddenly _him_, and I've become a mess. The odds of Edward being the person we're looking for is slim to none- he just brings out this feeling in me that tells me to run for the hills. Em goes along with my feelings because the FBI has hit a dead end. No one has to tell me that. I can see it in the eyes, hear it in their voices, see it in their actions._

I snapped my book shut and threw it on the coffee table. I smirked at the thought of Bird getting her hands on that- she'd have a field day at an insight to my mind.

I reclined my back to sink into the couch, turning the television on to some asinine infomercial. Hmm. Tomato plants. My last conscious thought was me wondering if Emmett would mind me growing three tomato plants on the balcony.

I woke up a time later to the entire apartment encased in darkness. My eyes were the only part of me that moved right away, and I glanced around the room. My pupils dilated quickly, and I adjusted to the black room. The television was off, the kitchen light was off, and the light that usually shined under the door from the hallway had disappeared completely. I drew in a shaky breath and looked at the cable box unnecessarily. The numbers that usually taunted me of the time were extinguished.

"Oh my God," I whispered. It was dark. Too dark. And quiet. It was so quiet that the silence made my ears ring. The darkness was suffocating me, and I hadn't even moved from the couch yet.

And then I heard footsteps from down the hall. I shot up, all the blood in my face draining—I suddenly felt so cold. And then my heart kicked into overdrive. Each heartbeat was a roar in my ears and I couldn't hear anything else. My eyes were glued to the gap under the door that used to show me that welcomed light.

Shadows.

Feet.

My heartbeat became louder, erratic and echoing. I leapt forward and grabbed the gun off of the small table by the door, releasing the safety. Step by shaky step, I backed up until I felt the wall behind me. My eyes were glued to that quarter inch gap that showed a sliver of black shoes.

_Black boots_.

A cry escaped my throat, but I tried my hardest to choke it back.

He found me… He was here.

My heart was racing, my mind delving into a dark place. I didn't want to fall back into that mindset, but I could feel my mind begin to sink back. My ears blocked out the sobs escaping my throat and I felt tears fall. The last time I had been in complete darkness…

_The scissors had cut their path through my undergarments, and the cold air flew across my naked body. I was trembling, tears falling freely from my eyes. I refused to open them because I would then have to admit that this was happening. The faceless man moved again, and the bed dipped under his weight. I could feel his hand graze over my thigh, slowly gravitating towards the apex of my legs. When I felt his fingers dip into my folds, I screamed out against the tape over my lips._

The door knob rattled, and my hands shook. I could tell that my thoughts were dipping into a non-reality.

_His fingers made circular motions over my clit, trying hard to get an arousal from me._

The bottom deadbolt turned, sliding from its post as my protector. He had a key.

_His fingers suddenly disappeared, and I felt wetness over my core. His mouth was on me, his tongue probing my depths, licking any moisture from me. He was treating this as if it were consensual, ignoring the screams that were sounding from beneath my gag, ignoring the attempt at pulling me free from my restraints._

The second lock turned, and I let out a muffled cry. I cocked the gun, pointing it at the door.

_He moaned, pleased with what he was doing. I remained bound, and eventually became motionless. If I gave in, would he eventually leave me alone? I was now too frightened to move. And then his mouth was gone. He groaned as I heard the sound of a zipper._

The third lock turned and I squeezed my eyes shut. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening.

_There was silence for only a moment before I felt pressure. He slowly pushed into me and I thrashed my entire body as wildly as I could. But he put his hand on my stomach and pushed down, holding me in place. And then I felt his weight on me as he leaned forward, sheathing into me completely. A cool wetness closed over my left breast as he suckled on my nipple, pulling it in every direction as he ran his tongue and teeth over it. I felt the tears fall from my eyes as he took my virginity. _

The fourth lock turned, and I screamed.

_He began moving inside of me, thrusting as he entered me over and over again._

I squeezed the trigger when I saw a dark figure enter the apartment. The shadows hid his face, but I saw those boots.

_His body began to shake, and he reached his climax quickly. Before I could fully register what had just happened, he pulled out, and I could feel the hot semen leak right out of me and slide down my thigh. The bile rose quickly, and I felt the liquid hit my throat. The tape remained in place though, and I forced myself to swallow it._

I heard a grunt and a yell, but I pulled the trigger again. And again. And again. Until the figure ran at me and grabbed the gun. I kept screaming, hoping _someone_ would hear me. Roger? Where was Roger? A hand clamped down over my mouth and I opened my eyes. When had I closed them?

Emmett?

I stopped screaming, and he dropped his hand. I was barely breathing right, my lungs taking in as much air as possible, with hardly any relief.

"What the _fuck_, Izzy!" A beam of light appeared, and I could suddenly see all of Emmett. And the blood.

"Emmett?" I whispered. I could hear noise coming from down the hall, and then a woman shout to someone. Like a train in a tunnel, my senses came flooding back to me, and I gasped in horror.

"Oh my God! Em!" Blood was quickly soaking his shirt, and I could see his skin pale in the light from the flashlight he held.

"Someone call 911!" I heard being shouted from the down the hall. I reached out and started to peel back Emmett's over shirt.

I'd shot him in the shoulder. The wound was seeping blood, trailing along my fingers. A wave of nausea rushed over me, and I fell back onto the wall behind me.

"Izzy, I'm fine." Those words. 'I'm fine.' Such lies. I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying though. There was suddenly two of him, and the room began to spin.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't shake my head- it felt as if it weighed a ton.

"Em…" I tried to make eye contact with him, but the room faded to black. And then there was nothing.

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>

**I think I will be posting the next chapter sooner than Monday because I loooove the next chapter and don't want to wait to put it up lol. But I might have to put that off until tomorrow night (Saturday night) or Sunday because I have to fix the keyboard on my laptop. Right now the space bar doesn't like to work. **

**Until then! ~Ashley**


	7. Chapter Six

**I want to thank everyone for reviewing and adding this story to their alerts!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie.**

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><p>I opened my eyes to the sensation of needles prickling on my arms. And something being placed over my mouth. I jerked up, but immediately flew back down onto the flat surface that I was on.<p>

"Isabella, we need you to remain calm. Lay back and take deep, even breaths." I didn't recognize the voice, which made me panic even more. My eyes darted side to side, taking in the flashes of red and blue lights and mobs of people. I took that deep breath the stranger told me to take, but I let it out in the form of a scream.

"Hey! Let her go! Izzy!" The sound of Emmett's voice released a sob from my throat, and I searched blindly for him. I could see his blurred form struggling against two men in uniforms. And that's when I was able to take everything in as a whole.

The two men holding Emmett back were paramedics, and one of them was trying to work on the gunshot wound in his right shoulder. I couldn't move my legs because I was strapped down onto a stretcher. The thing over my mouth was an oxygen mask, and the cool air being fed to me through a tube was like heaven.

"Please," I mumbled into the mask. I didn't know what I was begging for, but I was aware that we were in front of our apartment building and there were people staring at me.

Most of all, I was aware that I was strapped down and couldn't move more than a few inches. My mind was still partially in the flashback, and I could barely hold back another scream.

"You have to let her up!" Em shouted again. I heard a grunt and then footsteps rushing towards me.

"I told you that you could work on her while she was asleep, but we never said anything about strapping her down. She's fine, let her up." Emmett was right next to me, and like the hero that he was, he reached over and unbuckled me from my confines. Between him and the paramedic, they had me free and sitting in the back of the ambulance, oxygen mask still attached. Emmett didn't leave my side as the hesitant EMT finished packing his shoulder. According to him, the bullet went completely through, and the wound should heal nicely. In my opinion, sarcastic but albeit honest, I don't know how he could see that. The mans eyes were glued to me, a little fear in those hazel eyes.

"So… she shot you?" Yep, that's what I thought. He was freaking out a little. Em straightened his back and glared at him.

"It was a misunderstanding. She thought I was an intruder."

"Why did she have a gun?" Emmett stepped forward and took his wallet out of his back pocket. The glint of metal from his badge was obvious in the light from the street lamp.

"That's _none_ of your concern."

"Yes sir." I wanted to smile at the way Emmett towered over the poor man, but suddenly Roger burst through the wall of people, panic on his face.

"McCarty! What happened?" Rage began to build within me, and my hand gripped harder on the oxygen mask I was holding to my face. Emmett began shouting at him, words I couldn't decipher with the pounding of my headache. Roger was supposed to be there for me; watching everything and looking out for any sign that I was in danger. The fact that the power on the entire building had gone out, and he didn't even notice was a huge deal.

"…wires were cut." My head cleared magically at these words, and I dropped the mask.

"What?" I managed to croak out. Emmett turned to me and I winced at the sight of his bandaged shoulder. Em sighed and walked up to stand next to me.

"They looked to see why the power went out, and they found the wires cut." It was intentional. Someone threw me into my nightmares by cutting those wires and sending me into the blackness.

"Where were you?" The question was for Roger, and he froze. Em turned to him as well, waiting for his answer.

"Well?" Emmett prompted. Roger is by no means a small man, let me explain. He's well over six feet tall. Not as tall as Emmett, but close. He's strong, almost steroid strong. But he spends two hours a day in the gym to maintain that physique. He's got military looks- buzz cut and clean shaven, suit pressed and precise. He's good at his job, which is why Emmett personally chose him to look after me when he couldn't. But right that moment, Roger looked like a five year old being reprimanded for wetting the bed. His shoulders were slumped down, and his eyes shinned with unshed tears.

"I fell asleep." I must have heard wrong, right? But the growl that erupted from Emmett's chest proved that I didn't. I stepped up in front of Roger and drew my fist back. It went flying, connecting with Roger's jaw with a _crack_ before Em pulled me back. I was more than satisfied at the sight of blood trickling down Roger's lip.

"I trusted you!" I screamed, pulling at Emmett's grasp. "How could you?" My mind was racing, the thought that _he_ was here. Was it him? It had to be… who else would have cut the wires?

"I trusted you…" I whispered. Emmett succeeded in pulling me away and directing me towards the group of police officers I recognized as part of the team to protect me and find _him_.

"Isabella, we're going to bring you and McCarty to the hospital and then meet to reconvene," Officer Brian Lynch said to me in a soothing, but official tone. I knew it did no good to argue, so I just nodded. We refused transportation in an ambulance, and stepped towards the police vehicles instead. Lynch opened the back door of his unmarked police car and motioned for me to get in. I glanced around before doing so, taking in once again the magnitude of the situation. This wasn't the first time I'd been surrounded by ambulances and cop cars, spectators staring at us and whispering theories to each other.

But this time, I looked at every single face that belonged to that crowd. Because _he_ had been there. _He _was the one to cut the power line. I was sure of it. I didn't want to know what would have happened to myself if Emmett hadn't shown up earlier than planned.

My eyes were frantic, going over every freckle on the police officers' faces, the color of the old lady's hair that so blatantly stood there staring at me, hyper Pomeranian in hand.

I looked to her left and froze.

Blondie and Fairy.

Did they live in the neighborhood? They didn't really throw a red flag for me- mainly because they didn't have a dick. But… it was the look on their faces.

Concern.

They weren't being snoopy because of the other rubber-neckers. They almost looked like they wanted to ask me if I was okay.

"Get in," Emmett muttered. I looked away from my classmates and ducked into the back seat. My eyes kept drifting over the crowd. Faces were glued to my memory, and with a sigh, I watched the apartment building disappear from my view.

* * *

><p>The bullet did, in fact, go all the way through Emmett's shoulder. He was stitched up, given a pain prescription and a sling.<p>

_I,_ on the other hand, was questioned relentlessly by four officers, who seemed adamant on unraveling my past. Yes, shooting an officer was a big deal. I knew that. They just wouldn't listen to me when I told them that it was a misunderstanding and that Emmett was my bodyguard. They even talked about arresting me.

Until a call came in from Director Richard O'Brian of the Seattle FBI Field Office, demanding I be released. Followed by Emmett barging into the small waiting room like a mad man, demanding badge numbers and names.

The four officers were slightly frightened at that point.

"We're staying here tonight," Emmett said to me once we were alone. My eyes widened and I looked around at the nurses walking the halls with their bright colored scrubs and the Doctor's with their cell phones and lab coats.

"Here? In the hospital?" I moaned.

"It's either here or we head back to Washington for a couple of days." His voice was firm and left no room for argument. "It's safe, B. And until the apartment and the building is checked out, I don't want to go _anywhere_."

I nodded; he was right. I hated him to be right, but I had no choice. Emmet lightly wrapped his good arm around my shoulder and directed me into the Intensive Care Unit. I didn't question, only followed. The room he lead me to was equipped with two 'beds' (cots, really), television, and two uniformed guards standing at attention at the door.

Great.

"Really guys? Don't look so frigid." Emmett tried to lighten the mood, but neither officer waned from their stoic faces. "Wow." I smacked Em lightly on the stomach at his sarcasm, and managed to catch the eye of one of the officers. His stature was hard and official, his eyes as stern. But the second he looked at me, they softened a little.

"Thank you," I mumbled softly. He nodded fractionally, and continued about his business of watching the hallway. Emmett and I managed to get ready for bed, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I was honestly surprised that Em could even hear me, but with his 'super ninja hearing' as he put it, I shouldn't have been shocked when he reacted.

"Enough of that," he responded. "You thought I was… well, you acted as I would expect you to have."

"I just can't believe I _shot_ you." I was mortified to say the least.

"It was a great shot!" We chuckled, but the night's events weighted heavily down on me, and I yawned.

"Get some sleep," Emmett said. He pulled out his cell phone and began typing something out. I didn't answer him, and quickly fell asleep amid hospital scented blankets.

* * *

><p>The foggy area between sleep and consciousness quickly faded as Emmett's quiet voice became clear to me.<p>

"So, it was him." My body begged to stretch, but at Em's words, I froze. Was he talking about…?

"Son of a bitch. He got so close. She's never leaving my fucking sight again." Yep. That's exactly what he was talking about.

I kept my eyes shut, listening as Emmett paced the small room. And then a new voice entered the room.

"Wires for the electricity were cut with a knife, non-serrated from what we can see. No finger prints. Nothing on the security camera but a shadow." I didn't recognize the man's voice, but assumed him to either be with the FBI or the local police department.

The strangers words were scaring the living hell out of me.

"She's going to freak when I tell her," Em whispered.

"Do you _have_ to tell her?" This guy was an idiot, and I wanted to open my eyes and tell him that to his face. Em knew better than to keep shit like that from me.

"Seriously? Just so you know, that's the exact reason why the Director hasn't given you your own charge. They wouldn't be able to trust you." See?

"I'm just saying'," the guy mumbled. He then sighed and I heard the sound of crinkling plastic. Did he sit down?

"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked Emmett.

Silence. Did Emmett nod?

"This guy didn't have a problem with going in your _home_ to get to you. We can't let him get that close again. And if he does, we need to be ready."

"And what do you suggest?" Emmett asked tiredly.

"Lure him out. I know that's what you're already trying to do, moving across the country and into the land of fucking _heat_, but we need to step it up. Don't stay cooped up inside all the time. Get out. You know, places with security cameras. We'll pick places in advance and compare footage. He's here, Emmett. He's here and is obviously following you. He probably doesn't realize that extent of the protection surrounding her, and maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Oh God. He's right. I bit my bottom lip and choked back the fear inside of me.

"You're a fucking idiot, Palmer. But I guess even idiots have their moments. I guess we need to put our heads together and figure out how to tell Izzy."

"No need," the Palmer guy said. "She's awake." My eyes flew open and I lifted my head. Emmett was shaking his head as the guy I didn't know smiled gently.

"How'd you know I was awake?" I said hoarsely. Palmer stood and walked to the foot of my bed. I let myself study him quickly, noting how much he looked like Emmett, only shorter. He had closely cropped brown hair, curled and gelled. His blue eyes were alert, like they were carefully taking in every bit of our surroundings. His mouth was shaped into a smile, and when he stepped forward, his bottom lip was captured by a row of perfect white teeth.

"When you're asleep, you have a soft snore. As soon as you woke up, your breathing became slightly louder." Great. We've got ourselves a Rainman.

"And you are…?" I prompted while sitting up straight on the 'bed'. Emmett had been leaning against the rooms' large window, but pushed himself up at my question. He nodded at Palmer and gave me a small smile.

"Iz- _Bella, _this is Justin Palmer. Roger's replacement." Ah. Of course, what was I thinking? Roger surely wouldn't remain as one of my protectors. He was probably sitting at a desk for the next ten years shuffling paperwork.

"Hi Justin," I stuck my hand out to shake his, surprised at how gentle his touch was. Most people wanted to show me that they were tough enough to be part of the team. "I'm Bella."

"Nice to finally meet you," he said. His eyes never wavered from mine, he didn't try to look down my tank top, and he didn't treat me like a victim.

He was alright in my book.

"So, what you were discussing," I sighed, "about picking a route and seeing if he's following…" Emmett gave me a look I recognized all too well. He was telling me to relax for a minute before jumping back into all of this. After a night like that, I would love nothing more than to relax, but knowing that _he_ was that close… it only motivated me.

"Like you heard," Justin explained, "I think we should pick out a routine. You can keep up with your schooling- no need to give up something you love." I smiled at him and raised my eyebrows at Emmett. He grinned at me as if saying 'He's good, no?'

"I noticed the treadmill in your apartment, and McCarty told me you run. That's fine, only now you will run at the gym. A public gym. With lots of cameras." That made my stomach clench with nerves. I didn't like that I would be out in the open. He would be able to see me so easily…

"The University gym is perfect," Justin said to us. "It has a total of twenty four cameras. The indoor cameras were increased and outdoor ones were installed last year after someone's car was stolen outside the building. We're able to tap into their camera feed any time during the day or night. We can have a team on that at all times."

"Wow," I mumbled. But Palmer wasn't done yet.

"There's a grocery store around the corner from your apartment, Rizzo's. Now, assuming you want to stay in the same apartment, you need to visit Rizzo's every other day to grocery shop. Again, we'll tap into the video feed and see if there are any consistencies we can compare to the gym."

"We need more than that," Emmett mused.

"There's a park a couple blocks away from school," I offered. "I can go there a couple times a week and read while Em runs or something. We can have someone park along the east side and set up a camera or something." Em and Justin were nodding.

"That's perfect," Palmer smiled. I sat back and listened as they began planning my days, my weeks. It became a blur as they assigned the gym to Sunday's, Monday's, Wednesday's, Friday's and Saturday's. Palmer looked at me like I was crazy, but Em understood. I had to run almost daily or I got restless. So, the gym got five days a week. The grocery store got Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's. The park got Monday's and Thursday's. The Bird got Friday afternoon. Emmett joked that we were suddenly so busy, compared to the nights we stayed home, and I couldn't help but think he was right.

But this was how it had to be. Palmer was helping us take it up a notch. No more laying back in a false sense of security. 'Hiding', but waiting for the son of a bitch to show up so we could catch him. Is this how we thought it was going to be? That the guy we were after would just step up to us and introduce himself?

"Are you ready for this?" I blinked and tried to focus on Emmett's face. He studied me in a way only he knew how to do. He'd know it if I was lying.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied in a steady voice, as I let my right pointer finger graze over the scar above my right knee cap.

* * *

><p><strong>(Don't worry, the 'mystery' about the scar on her knee will be uncovered)<strong>

**Thank you for reading! Please review, because I love them. ... and other than that I will see you all later this week for the next update ;)**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Sorry I didn't post this chapter last night! I literally fell asleep as I was going over it before putting it up.**

**More questions will be answered in this chapter, and things are moving along nicely ;) I would like to thank everyone who have reviewed and who have set the story up for alerts!**

**D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a new pen that is made entirely from recycled water bottles!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"The tragedy of life is what dies inside us while we live."<strong>_

I took a deep breath and watched as Emmett got out of the car. I didn't want to do this, not today, but Emmett and Justin insisted '_the sooner, the better'. _So the moment Emmett and I left the hospital, we headed over to the University gym.

"Get out of the car." I looked up through my window and saw that Emmett was already standing at my door.

"Sir, yes sir," I mumbled. I opened the door and grabbed my bottle of water and sweat cloth. Em closed the door and steered me towards the gym. The building itself was impressive- two stories, glass windows on the front and televisions in front of almost all of the exercise equipment. At this moment I ached for my treadmill at home; the privacy and ability to get lost in myself. Oh well.

Emmett opened the large door, it beeping when we walked through. Immediately, an employee of the gym walked up to us with a smile on her face. The smile stayed in tact when she glanced at me and widened when she gazed at Emmett. I looked at him and frowned. What was with these girls and ogling him? Sure, he was good looking, but not to where they need to degrade themselves and drool.

"Hi! Welcome to Gym University," the brunette girl grinned. Could the school not think of a better name for this place? "My name is Amanda, have either of you been here before?"

Amanda… Mandy… _Candy._

I dub thee Candy.

"No ma'am," Emmett responded politely. "Our first time." Candy's eyes flashed with happiness at the prospect of new meat.

"Well then let me give you the tour!" Great. I plastered a smile on my face and followed Em as he graciously listened to the gym rule (no judging, no grunting, no harassment, no alcohol, etc.), and where all of the equipment was.

"Now, I see you have a bruised shoulder there, so I recommend you not do anything but treadmills and leg weights," our tour guide bubbled on. "Can I ask what happened?" I glanced at Emmett and saw that he hadn't thought to come up with a cover story, but he was thinking on his feet. But I didn't care about a cover story at this point, not with this chick.

"Oh, I just-" I cut Emmett off and smiled.

"I shot him." Silence. Emmett rolled his eyes and Candy paled.

"Now where were we?" I pressed on.

"We even offer private workout rooms and classes," Candy offered, her voice stuttering as she continued.

"Classes?" Candy seemed reluctant to address me, and looked at Emmett first before doing so.

"We offer yoga, spinning, kick boxing, and self defense." Score.

"How much are the kick boxing classes?" I asked before she continued.

"All classes are five dollars per session." I bristled immediately. Kick boxing, maybe, but self defense?

"You _charge_ people if they want to learn to defend themselves?" Em sighed and Candy's skin paled even more. Sooner or later she was going to pass out from the lack of blood in her head.

"No, that's not the intention-"

"Bella," Emmett's voice was telling me not to argue. I didn't look at him though. I only stared at Candy, my eyes shooting daggers into those shocked eyes of hers.

"Where are the locker rooms?" Emmett's question slowly brought Candy out of her stupor and she stumbled as she lead us in the right direction. The men's and women's locker rooms were side by side, and were fully equipped with lockers and showers. I knew that they would be my escape whenever I came to the gym, because only women were allowed past that entrance.

"All students have access to the gym for free," Candy continued as we stepped around elliptical machines and weight benches. "Each student with an ID is allowed to bring someone with them free of charge. Any non-students are able to join with a monthly membership fee."

"How do you know who the students are bringing in with them?" Emmett asked. Candy looked at him in confusion for a brief second before pointing at the front counter.

"There's a sign in sheet at the front desk. All visitors have to sign in." Emmett's eyes flashed with a mischievous glint.

"This is great, B. I can bring Ray here with me. She'll love it." I wanted to laugh, _so_ hard, because I knew what he was doing. _Ray_ was the name he had given his 9 mil. But to Candy, 'Ray' sounded like a girlfriend or significant other.

"Oh!" Candy exclaimed. Her eyes darted between Emmett and I a few times before landing on me. "So you two aren't…" I laughed this time, I really did. But Emmett spoke above the unattractive snorts.

"Oh, no. Bella is my second cousin, twice removed on my uncle's third wives' side." Needless to say, Candy had nothing to say.

"Where do we sign up?" I asked.

That was the end of Candy. She must have come to the conclusion that we were a pair of wack jobs and passed us off to Jose. Jose was a short Puerto Rican man that liked the color pink, if you know what I mean. It as a hilarious thing that Em just couldn't catch a break, especially as Jose watched Emmett's every move as we filled out paperwork.

Once Emmett and I had our new gym passes, we went over to the treadmills. I needed to run, but since Emmett was using that sling for the next few weeks, all he could do were things with his legs. No arm exercises for him. He needed to study the gym a little more without drawing attention to himself. I made a beeline for a treadmill on the second floor that overlooked the parking lot. I picked the corner machine and hopped right on. It was a lot like the one that I had at the apartment, so I had no problem setting it to the speed I wanted.

"You good?" Emmett asked as he set his own treadmill to a brisk walking pace. I nodded, letting my mind wander. Em walked along, eyes darting around to all the other faces. I wouldn't allow myself to do the same – if I did, I would become paranoid and skittish.

From my own post on the second floor, I could see the parking lot perfectly. I did let myself look at the different vehicles. Corolla, BMW, truck, truck, even a Hummer. The black SUV next to the Hummer made me do a double take, but I continued on. I smiled when I saw Palmer standing outside of his black Honda Civic, leaning against the hood, laughing into this cell phone. He was dressed down in basketball shorts and a white t-shirt, just like he was going to the gym. He was fitting in well. The longer I watched him though, the more I realized he must be talking to someone on the team. His laughing was an act, because his conversation in between was brisk and didn't seen humorous at all.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett cringe and heard him swear under his breath. I turned to the left, not breaking my stride, and laughed at why he seemed so miserable.

Blondie decided to make an appearance. Two treadmills over from Emmett. She was trying to look nonchalant as she pulled her long blonde hair in a ponytail. Her friend, Fairy, climbed on the treadmill next to her, rolling her eyes as Blondie dabbed at imaginary sweat with a pink cloth. I agreed with Fairy on this one. Desperate much?

Blondie pressed a few buttons and began trotting along, her eyes trained on the glass window before us. Emmett looked at me, and I recognized the hint of annoyance there. He pressed the stop button on the machine and dismounted.

"I'm going over there." I followed his gesture to the leg weights, nodding. Thanks, Em. Leave me with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.

Emmett sat down at one of the leg presses and kept up his method of people watching. Before I knew it, Fairy had given up her post next to her friends' left side and went to her right. But she didn't turn the treadmill on. Instead, she started at me for a solid ten seconds before I glanced at her.

"Are you okay?" I almost stumbled at the words, and sent a panicked look at Emmett before looking back out at Palmer.

"Sorry," she continued. "I don't mean to intrude. But we saw you last night, and with the police and ambulances, and your boyfriend hurt…"

"He's not my boyfriend," I choked out. Good job, Isabella. Offer information.

And then Blondie grinned.

"Oh, okay," Fairy shrugged. She seemed to not care either way. "I'm Alice, by the way. Alice Brandon. This is Rosalie Hale." I glanced at her again, but my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. I didn't know if telling her my name would invite her to intrude on my bubble, or allow Blondie to pretend to ignore Emmett more.

Speaking of Emmett, he was currently lifting hundreds of pounds of metal into the air using the muscles in his legs.

I pressed a few buttons on the treadmill, raising my speed to 8.0 mph. Alice watched my movements, looking over her shoulder at Rosalie and then towards Emmett.

"I don't mean to bug you," she continued, "but I'm just concerned. I- _we_- want to make sure you're okay." I didn't allow myself to react to her words. I couldn't. My eyes found Palmer in the parking lot again and I used him as my focal point. I could imagine the look on Alice's face as I ignored her. She was relentless.

"Am I bugging you? I hope not. How long have you been coming to this gym?" I pressed the speed button again. 9.0 mph.

Her questions were making me nervous. Why did she want to know? And the thought hit me like a wrecking ball: what if she was asking _for_ someone?

9.5 mph.

My feet were hitting the belt in a steady rhythm. My breathing was just as steady, and I concentrated on Palmer's form as he spoke on the phone. Who was he talking to?

"Are you okay?" Alice's voice cut through the buzzing in my ears, but it didn't deter me. Why wouldn't she leave me alone?

10.0 mph.

My breath was becoming uneven now, and I could hear a mumbling conversation to my left. Blondie and Fairy were talking about me. _If only they would stop_.

And then someone walked directly in my line of sight, blocking my view of the parking lot. Blonde, curly hair, and icy blue eyes. He stared at me, the piercing gaze throwing me off. I stumbled and flew back, off the belt, and into the wall behind me. I cried out, and the shouts around me scared me. Emmett was already running towards me, eyes cringed in pain as his arm jostled, and Alice was pressing the red 'Stop' button on my treadmill. But my attention was still on icy blue eyes.

He was the guy who was outside the hospital, who got off of the bus.

"Bella!" Emmett stepped in front of me and unknowingly obstructed my view. I scrambled to my feet and gasped for air. Em had his good arm wrapped around me, and when he sifted, I saw that the man was gone.

I wanted to cry.

Looking around, I saw that not only were Alice and Rosalie staring at me (well, Rosalie was staring at Emmett), but there were at least a dozen other people looking as well.

"Yeah, we're done for right now," Em muttered. I nodded, letting him lead me away. I didn't know what to do, so I let Em guide me. But my eyes searched for the blonde hair that I had seen twice already.

He was gone.

Before I knew it, Emmett was smiling and waving at Candy and Jose, pulling me out to the car. Palmer was watching us, but didn't move from his position on his car.

"We gotta get out of here," I whispered to Emmett. He looked confused, but I felt that something was off. _Something…_ I looked up at the building and gasped. Standing in the glass window was the blonde haired man, his face stoic as he stared back.

And next to him was a worried looking Edward Masen.

* * *

><p>I was a mess as I sat on the couch at the apartment. I couldn't speak, because all I wanted to do was tell Emmett that he was wrong about Edward Masen. The guy was everywhere. Every time I turned around, I felt like he was there.<p>

And don't even get me _started_ on the blonde haired guy.

But seeing both of them together sent me on an emotional ride. Because both men looked so _innocent_, and so _friendly_. Dare I say that I was the wrong one in this situation?

"Hey." Emmett's voice startled me and I stared at him in shock. He smiled, recognizing the look of distress on my face. He sat down on the cushion next to me and patted my knee.

"Tell me," he demanded. I sighed, not knowing what to say to him exactly.

"I think I was wrong," I whispered. Emmett's eyebrows went up in surprise. I never admitted I was wrong.

"About…?" he prompted. Leaning back, I let my head loll against the cushion. The ceiling was a good thing to stare at while I said this. I could even make out a face in the popcorn ceiling.

"About Edward Masen. I think I was wrong about him. He's been nice to you, and hasn't done anything to make me think that he would do any harm. I know you're lonely, and I'm not exactly the best person to hang out with on a daily basis. So, if you want, you can call Edward and hang out or something. I'll be fine with Palmer." Emmett didn't move next to me, and I tore my eyes away from the popcorn shaped Abraham Lincoln face to see what was wrong. He was looking at me in shock, a small smile gracing his lips.

"That's really noble of you to do, Iz. But think about this- if I make buddy-buddy with Masen, then he might come around here. And if we're not too careful, he might find out about us. He might find out about _you_." He was right. But I had been selfish for too long. Emmett had done so much for me over the past few years, that now it was my turn to do something for him.

"If he were to find out about me, that's something that I have to worry about. Do your best not to say anything revealing to Edward. Keep up the façade of being a college student who has the dream of becoming a teacher or something."

"You're crazy," Em mumbled, pulling me close for a hug.

"Amuse me, will ya? Before I chicken out and try to keep you all to myself." He chuckled and I felt his finger move over my kneecap, just inches away from my scar.

"It would make sense if you became friends with Edward as well. That way if he comes over to the apartment it won't be awkward for you." Yeah, I doubted that making 'friends' with the guy would keep me from being awkward.

"I don't think so. At least for right now." Em nodded, his fingers still playing with my knee.

"You know you can get that fixed, right?" I knew what he was talking about, but didn't look down. I'd had the scar since just after _that_ night. I knew I could have some kind of surgery and have it removed, but I kept it because it reminded me that I survived. My fingers occasionally ran over it, but I tried my hardest to never look. Because every time I did I saw the word 'MINE' carved into my skin. I saw the blood trickling down my leg. And every time I pictured that mess in my mind, I remembered how I sat in the hospital and held that scalpel to my flesh with shaky hands. How I cut the words from my skin until all I saw was muscle.

I was on psychiatric lock down after that.

"I'm good," I managed to whisper. Emmett's touch disappeared and he moved to stand.

"If you're sure about Edward, then yeah, I'll call him. He was a hoot when we hung out last night." Last night? Had all of this really happened in less than forty eight hours? I shook my head, wishing that time didn't move so slowly around me.

"I have an idea," Emmett said from the kitchen as he pulled a can of soda from the refrigerator.

"Really? There must be an eclipse or something." I smiled as I felt something hit the back of my head and land on the couch cushion next to me. A cardboard box of sinus medication.

"As I was _saying_, I have an idea," Emmett came over and sat on the coffee table across from me. "Those girls that are stalking me, the ones from class and the gym."

"Alice and Rosalie," I offered. "And just the blonde one is stalking you. The small one, Alice, doesn't give a shit about you." He feigned hurt and set his soda down next to him.

"Well, the short girl seemed to want to be friendly with you. Maybe you can be friendly with her?" I wanted to punch him in the face.

"I don't think so, Emmett. She asked too many questions. And most likely she would want to bring Rosalie with her. Besides, you remember what happened to the last friends I had." My voice was laced with sarcasm, and Emmett flinched as if I had stricken him.

"You can't compare this to what happened with Jessica and Angela. We didn't have the team that we have now, we didn't know what we know now."

"Emmett, we don't know anything!" I sputtered. "We know absolutely nothing about this guy, except for the fact that he sends the FBI letters. We know he somehow sets those letters on the Director's desk without anyone seeing. Besides that, we don't even know if he in Washington or in Florida! A couple cut wires mean nothing to me at this point, so unless we have something else, I'm not risking their lives just because I want a fucking friend. There's no way in hell I'm going to find my friends gutted and strung up like fish. Do you got that? Do you fucking understand?" I took a deep breath and realized that I was crying. Emmett didn't move, didn't even try to console me. But he had unshed tears in his own eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it," Emmett whispered. His eyes finally met mine, and I wished I had the strength to look away. "It's just that if you think I've been lonely, then I can imagine how you're feeling. I at least let myself be surrounded by fellow agents and members of the team. You don't even talk to them unless you have to. It's like you've given up on yourself, and I can't stand to see the sadness in your eyes. This is _not_ like Jessica and Angela. It's not. And if you finally come to the realization that you need friends as much as we all do, then you'll see it. Hell, I'll hire someone to follow them if need be." Emmett's soda was forgotten, and he stood up quickly and entered his room. His door slammed, and I flinched at the sound.

He was mad, but so was I. He wasn't the one whose friends went missing. It was my friends that were found hung from the ceiling in my living room one Saturday evening, gutted and cut up until they were practically unrecognizable. I remember the sounds that ripped from my throat, the screams that echoed through the air as Emmett rushed behind me to the rescue. The ambulances that screeched to a halt outside of my house. The police officers that questioned me relentlessly.

I had my reasons for not wanting friends. Because as long as this guy was out there, anyone who was close to me risked their lives every day.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading! Please review, I love them :)<strong>


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